Episode 799 (19th August 1968)
Plot Annie prepares for her speech by going to the library and consulting their reference section. Val still isn't sleeping well. Ken demands to know what happened between her and Frank Riley but she just wants to be left alone. Audrey, Dickie and Gordon go to the swimming baths together. Minnie tells Ena she's had a letter from an old "gentleman friend" of hers who is going to visit them later that day but she won't say who it is - she wants it to be a surprise. Mr Ironfield of the council calls at No.9 to see Len who is out. He's nervous about Ena's whereabouts. Val confides in Elsie and realises that everyone thinks she was raped. She tells her that Ken would never forget or forgive her if she had been. Jack is annoyed when Annie buys a new expensive dress for her speech. Ena and Effie await Minnie's friend in the Rovers - it's Albert, making a visit from the Fusiliers' Museum. The regulars are amused by the fact that he has a cut on the head from when a rifle fell on him. Elsie tells an annoyed Ken about Val's fears. The regulars are interested to hear about the museum from Albert. Annie invites Maggie to hear her speech. Ironfield tracks Len down after a fraught morning and nervously tells him that a neighbour has complained about Ena and he wants him to pass it on to her. Len refuses. Ken argues with Val. She insists that nothing happened to her and accuses Ken of loving himself more than her. He convinces her that she's wrong. Albert visits Ken and Val and inspects their new flat. Len and Mr Ironfield get tipsy together and he persuades Len to pass on the complaint. He does so, telling Ena the complaint is about her playing her harmonium early in the morning and she must stop as she's in contravention of her tenancy agreement. She's devastated she can't worship in the way she's been used to doing any more. Cast Regular cast *Annie Walker - Doris Speed *Jack Walker - Arthur Leslie *Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson *Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant *Valerie Barlow - Anne Reid *Kenneth Barlow - William Roache *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix *Audrey Fleming - Gillian McCann *Dickie Fleming - Nigel Humphreys *Gordon Clegg - Bill Kenwright *Effie Spicer - Anne Dyson *Maggie Clegg - Irene Sutcliffe *Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth Guest cast *Mr Ironfield - Anthony Dutton Places *Coronation Street *Rovers Return Inn - Public/Snug *6 Coronation Street - Living room *11 Coronation Street - Back room/kitchen *14 Coronation Street - Living room and hallway *Corner Shop Notes *''TV Times'' synopsis: Ena receives a warning *Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 7,000,000 homes (1st place). Notable dialogue Valerie Barlow: "I'm just a thing now; I'm something you've got. And all you're interested in is keeping it nice and polished and neat and in its place." Kenneth Barlow: "No, Val, that's not true." Valerie Barlow: "If anything happened to me, if I went mad or I got into trouble or imagined I was in love with somebody for a while, you wouldn't lift a finger to help me. You wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole. Because you don't love me. You love yourself." Category:1968 episodes